New Biodegradable mulch film for strawberries
Bioplas Australia
At last Fruit Logistica 2014 in Berlin, Novamont exclusively presented the first Mater-Bi agricultural mulching film for strawberries. Until now, there has been no biodegradable film for this long-cycle crop that effectively ensures mulching over the entire crop cycle.
Mater-Bi mulching film for strawberries is completely biodegradable in the soil and highly durable, making it possible to combine excellent mulching performance with savings in cost and time spent on removal and disposal of films at the end of the crop cycle, especially in areas where removal can be very expensive.
Biodegradable mulch film has similar mechanical properties and usage characteristics to those of traditional plastic films, but when incorporated into the soil it fully transforms into organic substances, water and carbon dioxide.
In order to be sure that a biodegradable mulch film will completely biodegrade once incorporated into the soil without leaving harmful plastic residues it must fulfill certain requirements settled by Australian and International Standards like AS4736, EN13432, ASTM D6400, ISO 17088 and ISO 18606. Specific certifications released by independent bodies can guarantee the compliancy of a product with those standards. At present the most successful scheme of certification in soil is Vincotte “OK Biodegradable Soil Certification Program”, in which the following criteria should be met by a polymer: 90 % biodegradation relative to cellulose in 24 months at temperature between 20 °C and 25 °C .
Mater-Bi agricultural mulch film is produced and distributed in Australia through Bioplas network of partners and is successfully used by strawberry growers worldwide.
Fully biodegradable mulch film for strawberry is now available in Australia, contact us!